Will Florida insurance companies win again at your expense

I have to wonder if there any other state legislatures as controller by the insurance and telecommunications industry as Florida. THe n ewest legislation to divorce you from your money and  possibly your drivers license.

Florida May Put Loud Stereo Tickets on Driving Record

Florida May Put Loud Stereo Tickets on Driving Record

By The Newspaper
October 10, 2009

A member of the Florida House of Representatives wants to make driving with a loud stereo a crime on the same level as driving with an open container of alcohol. State Representative D. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) last month introduced House Bill 137 which modifies an existing loud stereo statute to double the cost of fines and make the offense a moving violation. Current Florida law makes it unlawful to drive with a stereo “plainly audible” from twenty-five feet away or that is “louder than necessary for the convenient hearing by persons inside the vehicle” when driving past a church, school or hospital. Law enforcement officers are exempt as are politicians who use loud soundmaking devices for “political purposes.” The typical fine is $78 with no points.


HB 137 would impose three license points and boost the fine to $180 for a third offense. The addition of points will serve as a boon to insurance companies which will collect significantly higher premiums from ticket recipients. The industry has already rewarded Hays $16,650 in political contributions since his election in 2004, including support for his run for the state Senate in 2010.

Although state law already imposes a specific fine for loud stereos, several municipalities have written their own civil ordinances in order to impose harsher punishments including sixty days in jail, a $500 fine and the potential for thousands in impound fees. Passage of the Hays bill would allow these cities to add license points to the list.

View a copy of HB 137 in a 75k PDF file at the source link below.
Source: House Bill 137 (Florida Legislature, 9/22/2009)

[courtesy thenewspaper.com]

Keep in mind now that it is already against the law and one would suspect that with sufficient enforcement the current law would be adequate. But oh no, not in Florida, the land of illegal red light cameras and seizure of personal property for traffic violations.

We once posted the question would Florida become the first "Police State" in the nation?  Unless somebody can provide us with a better contender then will postulate that it already has.Add to Technorati Favorites

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